Taking place shortly after the expulsion of the Tarquin kings, the play opens up by focusing on the tension with the lords who have been withholding grain from the commoners. A prominent general, Marcius, sees the commoners as useless since they did not help expel the kings and when the people rise up to revolt against the new Roman government a new player gets elected to a prominent role and given the name Coriolanus. When the new lord returns home, his mother who is excited by his success convinces him to run or and win one of the consul seats but this creates quite the tension with the former allies as they seek to dethrone him.